Re: How does world Senior Scouting work?
Mark McCormack (markmc@ecn.net.au)
Sun Jan 25 06:55:40 1998
(A large Snip)
The Explorer program is totally different to that here in Australia. For
starters for Venturers we do not have a rank system. We have a group of
young people who elect an executive amongst themselves, this will be Chair,
Treasurer, Secretary and so forth. It is normally the older personnel who
hold these postions. All Venturer Units operate on the same premise as
every other Venturer Unit. They will differ depending upon location and
personalities but basically they all operate the same (this is the theory).
This also goes for any swampy's (Sea Scouts) that are Venturers, just that
they have a slightly different focus. The best way to equate Venturers here
is that with your Hich Adventure Posts.
>
> How does that work in Australia? Do you still have Rovers? We
>discontinued that program in 1965. What are the ages of your Rovers and
>Venturers and what do they do? Do you have Sea Scouts? Are any of the
>foregoing equivalent to USA's Explorers?
Yes of course we have Rovers, they were never abolished as it was in the US
and UK. BP himself wrote the book "Rovering to Success", and is compulsory
reading in most Rover crews.
Venturers are aged 14-18 and Rovers 17-26. It is legal here to drink
Alcohol at 18, and this is the major differnce between the 2. The other
difference is having a car and a job and being in the real world. Rovers
have big social gotherings called Moots and the Australian Rover Moot is
held every 3 years. In Victoria there is 2 big yearly Moots, (surf moot
which is on this weekend)(This weekend is a long weekend, it is the
Australia Day Long Weekend). and in June there is Mudbash now held a
Mafeking Park near Yea, which the Rover bought. remember June is winter
here. Here in Queensland it is Banana Bash which is held during the Labour
day long weekend in May.
>We all get along here in the USA even though many of our Senior Scouting
>programs are widely divergent. Is that also true in Australia?
>
We all get along except with the Poobars, they are the ones how wear purple
tabs.
> As an Australian, you may have heard of our awesome helmsman,
>Buddy Melges. He is a committeeman of our Sea Scout Ship Hathor (1),
>committeeman and past commodore of Sinnissippi Council's Sea Scout
>Squadron and is a member of the National Sea Scout Fleet Committee along
>with another great yachtsman, Bill Koch.
Excuse my ignorance but Who are they? Is this Something to do with the
America's Cup that the kiwis have?
>Does Australia with its incredibly rich yachting heritage have its great
>sailors serve its Sea Scouts?
No idea
>How about that for questions?
Not bad for starters
Mark
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